Magic mushrooms: new African species sheds light on the history of the famous fungus

By Breyten Van der Merwe, PhD student, Stellenbosch University
Alexander Bradshaw, Postdoc, mycologist and evolutionary biologist, Clark University

“Magic mushrooms” are consumed recreationally and for medicinal purposes around the world. These fungi gained their fame as “magic” because they produce chemical compounds (called psilocybin and psilocin) which have psychedelic effects.

The most famous species of these mushrooms, due to their global distribution and ease of cultivation, is Psilocybe cubensis, known primarily…

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